Crossed paths
by babee-angel
Summary: A story about a female assassin's road to transcend and life after. Love, friendship and betrayal. It's renamed :P
1. Chapter 1

"He wouldn't do anything like that. Leave him alone." I shouted.

"You should ask him before you leave on your quest." my friend persisted.

"But I know he won't do something like that, he's a high priest for Odin sake"

"Please, just ask…for us then if not for you"

"Fine I will", with that, I left her behind to head home.

Hi my name is Angel. Such irony in the name for I am an assassin by profession. Although I am an assassin I do not kill people for money, I am an assassin for because of my abilities was best combined with their skills. I'm a rather short girl standing at 5 feet; I have black hair with red highlights, brown eyes and tanned skin. Even though I'm an assassin, I'm actually quite friendly and outgoing, a social butterfly you might say.

My hubby is a high priest; we met through friends in our guild when he was still a priest. Our guild and home is in Alde. Our guild is like a big family, everything was good until the rumors started. It happened shortly after my hubby left his guild and started to go from guild to guild. I suppose he was just trying to find the right guild for him.

As I my house came into view I saw my hubby sitting in our front yard below a tree reading.

"Hey sweetie"

He looked up at me and smiled "Welcome back"

I went and sat beside him, looked at him seriously and asked, "Hey…there has been a rumor going around about that scandal in a guild you were in last week. What's going on, they're saying you did something. Please…tell me what happened."

"I didn't do anything, they're just causing drama because I left their guild."

"Oh…that's it? Just drama?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it, I'll never lie to you."

"Promise?" looking up at him innocently.

"Yes I promise"

I smiled at him and snuggled into his chest. I knew he wouldn't do anything bad. I trusted him.

I thought everything was fine however I was too busy to notice that he has slowly changed from the man I once knew. I had to leave for my quest tomorrow. This quest is very important since I must succeed at doing this quest to prove my worthiness to attain the ranking of an assassin cross. If I failed at this quest I will never be able to reach the rebirth state of mind. My hubby supported me and helped me prepare for this quest. However I had to do this quest alone, just like how he did his alone before he could become a high priest. And I knew he would wait for me and cheer me on just as I did for him. My trust and belief in him was my fatal mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

LOL I forgot a disclaimer on the first ch.

Disclaimer: I do not own RO

Ok moving on )

Next day, when I woke up I found him still asleep beside me. This is odd; he usually wakes up earlier then me to attend to guild matters.

_Oh yeah…he quit the guild._

_Sigh_, I snuggled closer for one last time before I had to go. I have changed so much since the last time I was at the assassin academy. I wonder what would my Sensei think when he sees me now. Back in the academy I didn't have any friends. Most of the people there were cold and kept to themselves. So I did the same, I shut myself in my own world and build a wall so no one could come in. Even after graduating from the academy I journeyed alone. I was always alone until that fateful day. It happened by chance that I decided to walk to Geffen instead of using Karfa services. When I saw them in the field, they were surrounded by the mob of monsters. Their priest was too mentally tired to heal and one of their fighters was badly hurt. I don't know what made me help them but I did. After that they invited me to join their guild. Ever since then I wasn't alone anymore. My guildmates reintroduced me to a world full of light and warmth, something that I had forgotten ever since I became an assassin. As time passed on, I opened up to my friends and the wall around my heart crumbled.

I smiled as I reminisced about meeting my friends. If it weren't for them I would have never learnt to love, and I wouldn't be with him. I reach over to his sleeping form and gave him a light kiss on the cheeks.

_He's so cute when he's sleeping_ I thought.

I took one last glance before I attempted to get out of the bed without disturbing him. But when he felt the heat from my body leaving his arms automatically wrapped around me to pull me back.

"Just a little longer, please. This will be my last time with you." he asked looking at me sleepily.

"Ok, just a little longer," I rested my head on his chest and snuggled in close.

"Silly, what are you talking about last time? I'll be back before you know it." With that said I gave him a small hug to reassure him I'll be back as soon as possible. I know it'll take me a while, but I'll be back. Little did I know the true intent behind those words.

With that said and done I got up to get ready for my journey to the academy. After freshening up in the bathroom and putting on my assassin uniform I checked my reflection in the mirror.

I carefully put on the evil ears he got me and my bunny ear headband.

_Sigh_, I'm going to miss him.

I walk out of the washroom and went to the bed to take a seat beside him.

"How do I look," I asked smiling at him.

"As cute as always," He got up and gave me a kiss on my lips.

I giggled and poked his tummy before I got off the bed. "I'm going to make breakfast, do you want anything?"

"What are you making?"

"Um….omelet, oatmeal and I'll probably have yogurt too."

"Having a big breakfast before you leave eh."

"Well I need to be fully energized for my trip…so…yeah heehee. You know me, I love to eat."

"Yeah I wonder what you like more, me or food"

"Hum…that's a hard one…"

He gave me a hurt look.

"heehee I'm just kidding. You know I love you the most."

"haha alright, can you make me a bowl of oatmeal?"

"Sure, now go brush your teeth so you can eat."

He nodded and got out of bed as I went to go prepare our breakfast.

"mmm it smells good," he said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Thanks, but that's my omelet" sticking my tongue out at him.

"Oh the oatmeal is done; get some yourself since I'm still cooking."

"Alright"

Our meal was unusually silent. I didn't know why. Maybe it's because we'll be separated for a good amount of time and this hasn't happened ever since we got married.

He finally spoke up to break the silence "I'm going to miss you."

"awww you know I'll miss you too. I'll try to make it back as fast as possible ok?"

"Take you're time. It's more important that you pass all your tests since there is no second try."

"I guess. Don't worry I'll try my best. I've been dying to be an assassin cross for so long. I won't screw up."

"I know you can do it."

"Thanks sweetie, hey do you know anything about what I'm suppose to do?"

"It's different for every job class."

"Oh…yeah…heehee I guess I'm just a little nervous now that you mention I only get one shot. Sigh… I should go say some goodbyes before I leave."

"You don't have much time. Aren't you suppose to be there in half an hour?"

I looked at the clock and jumped out of my seat "OMG, AAHHH, must hurry."

I quickly went over to him and gave him a quick peck "Bye sweetie, wish me luck" With that I left my house and went running to my guild's favorite sitting spot. Good thing it's close to the Karfa so I can leave right after saying bye.

I ran as fast as I could to our spot. It's just a little above the south bridge at the centre of the city.

"Hey guys." I shouted while waving at them. It's early in the morning but several of my guildmates were already there. They were the ones I was closest with in the guild.

They all looked up and saw me running towards them.

Jessie got up to hug me "Good luck with your test."

Nathan chimed in "Yeah we'll be rooting for you."

Kai "Hurry up and transcend, we've been waiting for you to do that for a while."

"Teehee, thanks guys. I'll pass this for sure then I can transcend."

"As soon as you pass we'll help you reach the rebirth state of mind in no time."

"Thanks guys."

I looked at my friends, they had already finish transcending a while ago. Jessie is a sniper, although she's not a falcon hunter she likes to keep her falcon as a pet. Nathan is a high priest, he helped me train a lot secretly so I could transcend faster. Kai is a paladin; we were actually friends as novices but grew apart when we left the novice academy.

"Oh yeah, before I go. I just wanted to tell you guys not to worry about the rumors. He told me that they're just causing drama because he left the guild. So it's all good."

Nathan's smile disappeared when I spoke about the rumor, "Well let's hope its just drama. He never caused any trouble when he was with us. Take care ok."

Jessie hugged me again " If you need anything we're always here for you."

"Thanks guys, I got to go now before I'm late."

With that I ran over to the Karfa to get my warp.

Our guild was one big family. Nothing would ever break us up…at least that's what I thought. But then again that was my own fault.

Please review

Is the pace ok?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own RO

I felt the dry air blowing against my skin as I materialized in Morroc.  
Even though Morroc is situated in the desert, the mornings and nights were quite nice and cool. It's not what an outsider would expect. But after living here for many years, one would know just how extreme the weather can be. It gets blazing hot during the day when the sun is high in the sky and drops to a near freezing point during some specific nights in the year.

Looking around what seemed to be empty streets bring back memories.

_Hmmm…where was that place again…I think it's over there. Better get moving._

I cloaked and walked into one of the near by alleys until I reach the end which was still dark because of the shadows of the surrounding buildings. I turned to face the wall on my left and started to search for a loose brick. I found a scroll hidden behind the loose brick as expected. I took the scroll and placed it into my bag before replacing the brick. I went to the West exit of Morroc before I sat down to read the instructions.

_You have until 7 today to get to the Assassin's guild with the following items:  
50 Minosours horns  
30 immortal hearts  
30 Rotten Bandages  
If you don't manage to get the items don't even bother showing up at the guild._

_…wtf…the pyramids are half an hour west of town…but to go into the pyramids and collect all those items will take well over half a day. On top of that the assassin's guild is so about a half a day walk…in the afternoon it's almost too deadly to walk in the desert. Looks like I can't take any breaks for if I want to make it there in time…I hope my endurance has built up enough over the years.  
_  
With that thought I stood up and went to gather some supplies before heading off to the pyramids.

Several hours later in the basement of the pyramids.  
Thump thump thump

_Hum…another Minosours close by. _

I silently walked towards the sound of footsteps and peered around the corner. I gripped my katars tightly, swiftly and silently I moved in towards the Minosours. However it saw me before I was able to strike. I stepped back as it swung its hammer at me. I kept on dodging it's attack waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I noticed one of its vital points was left open after it had swung it's hammer and hit the wall and I leapt forward to strike. Moving in our deadly dance, I would dodge and strike only to hit the vital areas to deal critical damage. When the Minosours fell to its knees I did one last slice to its throat to guarantee my victory. Seeing the Minosours on lying on the ground I stepped forward to cut off its horn.

_Well…that's all of them. Better head towards the guild before I run out of time._

You see, when I was in training to be an assassin, what I lacked in strength I made up for in speed. I was able to dodge better then the others even though I was weaker. To cover up for my weakness, I studied hard. I spent months and months studying the anatomy of all creatures alive. All my studying paid off when I was able to identify and strike the critical spots of my enemies during battle. Even though I was weak, hitting one's critical spots does more damage then attacking anywhere on the body. Now combining my skills with the strength I have gained over the years I have become one of the strongest assassins. This was something I am very proud of, it has taken me a long time to get to this point and I'm finally being recognized for it. I will not fail this test.

With that thought in mind I hurried out of the pyramids towards the town to restock on some supplies and fetch the proper equipment out of my Karfa storage to brace the desert.

it's been a while..i thought i'd finish this...

I didn't think a page will be so short...i'll try to make next one longer


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys,

I'm back...since I'm on break on ro right now :P

YAY i did manage to transcend my assassin lol ...actually my sinx has been retried and I have a gypsy now /swt

anyways...I will continue this story and finish it...I have the plot and everything laid out..just never...finished it before...

Please R&R

_Sigh, I finally made it._

I uncloaked as I stepped into the door of the assassin's guild.

_Stupid __sandmans__ are still annoying as ever. At least this time I can either cloak past them or kill them easily._ Angel thought, while shuddering at the memories of trying to get past all the sandmans as a young thief.

I walked over to the secretaries' desk and dropped the bag of loot on her desk.

"Name?" she asked me,

"Shiro Neko" I responded with my code name.

"Ah, we've been expecting you. You made it just in time. A minute later and you would have already failed your test. Now let me make sure everything is here", she said as she started to rummage through the bag.

"Ok, looks like everything is in order. Here's your room key as you will be staying here during the duration of the test. You'll receive further instructions once you get to your room."

I nodded and left for my room.

I looked at the number on my key

_407_

_My old room._

I looked around as I walked to my room. It's been a long time since I've last been here. Nothing seemed to have changed.

_At the room_

The room a small and simple. There was a bed, a desk that is beside the bed and a small closet across from the bed. There are no windows on the wall to provide distraction.

_Home sweet home_

I dropped my bag of clothes onto the floor in the closet and walked over to my desk.

There was a note on my desk. I picked it up to read it.

_If you're reading this then you have passed the first part of the test._

_If you haven't figure it out by now, the first part of the test for each person is different._

_The first part is to test if you have overcome your weakness from before. _

_If you are not capable of overcoming your weakness then you do not deserve to transcend._

_Now that you have proven yourself to be worthy, the next couple of months will be used to refine your skills and knowledge._

_The intense training is used to help you reach the rebirth state of mind._

_Once you are ready you will be able to read the Book of __Ymir__ in Juno and rebirth._

_Attached is the schedule you are expected to follow while you're here._

_Now let your training begin_

_Signed_

_Guildmaster_

My eyes grew wide as I took a look at the calendar that was attached behind the note.

_These will be a long couple of months._ I thought as I fell onto my bed to sleep.

_Skip training, fast forward a couple of months…TEST __DAYS :P_

_YESSSSSS today is the day I'm finally done my training here. I can finally go home._

_After I write my written exam that is._

Sigh

_Don't I get a break? I mean, sure I get to go home after this but I just finished my physical exam yesterday and now I have to do a written exam. I'm still so tired from yesterday. _

_Damn that room must be magical or something. How can they change that room to a different scenario for each person?_

_I thought they'll drop us off at different locations around the world by airship to accomplish the physical test. But it was all done in one room. How they manage to make something like that is beyond me. Well I guess if it's the same set of people used in our examination they can't send us all over the place…but how they made a room like that is just…mind boggling. GAHHH I'm so distracted._

"Shiro Neko"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at where the voice is coming from.

"Come, it's time for you to write the written test."

Sigh, _well here goes nothing_. I thought as I walked into a room.

The room contained a single desk and chair. On top of the desk was my test.

I sat down and the examiner explained the rules.

"You now have 3 hours to complete the test." He said after explaining all that is needed to know.

I flipped through the book to see where I should begin.

Section 1: Poison

Section 2: Human Anatomy

Section 3: Monsters

Section 4: Guild castles

_Well, I'll guess I'll start with section 2 since that's what I specialized in._

_This is going to be one long test_


	5. Chapter 5

Hi hi, I'm just trying to squeeze in another chapter before school gets busy.

Enjoy :)

* * *

_Later that evening_

I was so excited to go back home especially since I had good news to tell everyone. The moment I landed in Alde, I started a mad dash to my house. On the way to my house I happened to pass by my guild spot as usual and Kai and Jessie were still hanging around the spotted me.

They waved and Kai shouted "You're finally back!"

Since they saw me, I guess I have to take a small detour before I can go home. I wanted my hubby to be the first one to know about my results but I don't think he'll mind if I tell them first. I mean, after all, I did see them first.

"Yup! It's good to be home. I missed it here." I replied as I walked over to them.

"Seeing how happy you are I guess you made it."

"Eh heehee, how did you know?" I asked as I scratched my head.

"You're quite easy to read. Anyways, congrats!"

"Thanks, I got to get home now! See you later!"

With that said I continued my mad dash for home. I was so excited to tell my hubby the good news that I didn't stop when Kai was yelling at me to come back. Nor did I see the worried look Kai and Jessie exchanged when I mentioned the word home.

The moment I opened the door to our house, something felt different. I didn't know what it was so I ignored it.

I called out, but no one answered. I figured he's still at Prontera helping out for the day so I didn't think twice about why he wasn't home yet.

I decided to take a shower since I was so tired from the months of training and the testing that I just finished. I walked past everything in our room and went straight into the bathroom for a nice shower.

_After the shower_

I came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and used another one to dry my hair.

I started my way to the closet to look for something to wear.

I was surprised when I opened the closet. Actually, shocked was more like it.

All that was left in the closet was my clothes. All of his clothes were gone. Not just the uniforms that he would take with him on missions, but his casual clothes as well. Everything…from headgear, garments, footwear, they were all missing. I stared at the empty closet for several minutes before I was able to think.

_No…no...__no__….what's…going on? No…this can't be right…_

My mind wasn't functioning properly anymore. A part of my brain was telling me the obvious while the other side was still in disbelief. To make matters worst my heart decides to add to my confusion and pushed me into further denial.

_He wouldn't leave me…this is not right…yes__..he__ must have just went on a mission..__just__ a mission…he'll be back…he will…_

I slowly backed away from the closet, and sat on my bed…still staring at the closet in front of me and trying to convince myself that everything will be alright.

I rested my hand on the bed for support, but when I put my hand on the bed, I felt something cold.

I looked down at what it was and found that it was something silver.

_No…it can't…be…_

As I brought it up to my face for closer examination I realize that it was, indeed, his wedding ring.

A wave of emotions came over me. I couldn't believe it. All the time that we spent together, all the times he told me he loved me and that he'll never leave me…it was all a lie. Everything…was just a big…fat…lie…

My eyes went back onto the bed…hoping there was a clue to what's going on… something…anything that will tell me that this was all fake…Maybe he was kidnapped or something…waiting for me to rescue him…

However the not that I found did the exact opposite of what I had hoped.

_Angel…__Gomen__ & __Sayoonara_

Tears started to spill out of my eyes. I do not know when it started, but they just won't stop flowing. His note had confirmed everything. My mind was not confused anymore and now my heart is left in pain.

_Why…why did he have to do this to me…wasn't I good enough for him? What's wrong with me! Why…why did he leave me__…_

My thoughts were hurtful, not understanding why someone who claimed to love me would leave me. Why someone I gave everything to would just leave me like this.

_Alone…I'm all alone…_ Were my last thoughts…as I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

I hope this wasn't too short.

This seemed like a good place to end this chapter.

Until next time :) Bye

Please R&R


	6. Chapter 6

Hi guys

Sorry for the short disappearance. School is busy :(

And I'm juggling 2 FF (btw the other one is also ro ...but it's a cross over with gakuen alice characters so it's in that section heehee)

just to clear something up from last chapter that i forgot to do

_Gomen sorry  
_

_Sayoonara_ goodbye, but in the context like you're not going to see the person again, for a very long time or ever again

Steel Heart- Thanks for reviewing 3 I hope this chapter will help clear things out...or if you look at chapter 5 again..i mentioned that she found his wedding ring there along with the note. :)

* * *

_Several days later_

"Angel", I heard a voice calling from the front door.

"We're coming in." Another voice chimed in before footsteps can be heard inside the house.

I can hear their footsteps coming closer to me yet I did not feel the need to get up and greet them.

"Angel, how long are you going to sit there and be like that?" Kai asks me when he found me sitting on my couch staring emptily at the wall.

I can hear Jessie smacking Kai across the head telling him to shut up before turning to me. "Angel, have you eaten anything today? The soup I brought over yesterday is still on the table." Jessie said softly as she kneels down beside me as if talking to a child.

"Comon, this isn't good for you. You can't sit here and waste away like this, you'll lose those awesome curves you have." She said half-jokingly, trying in vain to lighten the dark mood. "I'll go reheat the soup for you right now." She said as she got up to go to the kitchen.

I can hear Kai sighing as he sits down on the couch next to me. Yet I still did nothing. I continued to stare off into space, lost in my own little world.

"What has he done to you?" I heard Kai softly mutter while shaking his head. It was probably not intended for me to hear yet I heard it. And it pierced through me like a knife as it reminded me of him. Or the fact that there is a lack of him, now that he's gone.

"The soup is ready," Jessie exclaims as she comes back into the room with a hot bowl of soup in her hand.

"Here, common, open up and take a bite." She said to me as she tried to feed me the soup with a spoon.

I absentmindedly opened my mouth and let her feed me the steaming hot soup. The pain from the burning hot food did not seem to register with my brain because of my depressed state. I guess that was a good thing at that point in time cause I can't stand eating anything too hot.

"At least she'll eat when we feed her." Jessie said sadly while she continued to feed me.

"We really have to think of something to get her out of this state." Kai said as he started to write a letter to someone through his communicator.

"Well how do you expect her to react? For Odin sake, her husband left her while she's gone away for her test?! He didn't even have the guts to do it when she's here." Jessie exclaims out loud.

"Shut up, stop being so loud, she can hear you, you know." Kai yells at Jessie as they started to argue.

I was tired of them yelling at each other. It was my fault that they're shouting. Everything was my fault, him leaving me, my friends fighting, it would be better if I wasn't here. I wanted them to stop shouting, but I couldn't find my voice. I turned my head away from the spoon Jessie was holding out to me thinking that it will get their attention.

"Look what you did, she stopped eating. This is all your fault." Jessie yelled at Kai as she roughly puts the unfinished bowl of soup on the table nearby.

I heard Kai sigh, "let's stop this, it's not helping her to hear us yelling at each other. Angel, please, stop doing this to yourself. It's hurting all of us too you know." He pleaded me.

I turned my head to the direction of his voice and looked into his eyes. I didn't know what to say even if I found the voice to say it. All I could do was look at him emotionlessly. I don't see the point in anything anymore.

I felt Jessie pat my head. "It's ok, everything will be all right. We'll come back to check up on you tomorrow. Please, move around a bit and eat something when I'm not here." She said before she got up taking the dishes with her and to go to the kitchen.

Kai walks over, kneels beside me and says, "We'll be back; we just got some guild matters to attend to right now. Behave while we're gone, ok?"

In response, I shifted my head back into neutral position, stared at the wall ahead of me.

I heard him sigh before he got up and left with Jessie.

I would normally feel bad for putting them through all this trouble, but right now, nothing seems to matter. As a matter of fact, I don't feel anything anymore except for this pain in my heart. It's like my heart is a pin cushion that's full of pins but unfortunately, I'm a pin cushion that can feel the pain of the pins that have been stabbed into me. I know my friends have told me that it wasn't my fault that he left. But that doesn't stop the pain. Even if it wasn't my fault, just that fact that he's gone hurts me so much.

I continued to stare off into space, with tears slowly rolling down my face, thinking of what I could have done to keep him by my side. Did I not show him that I loved him? I gave him everything I could. Was my love not enough for him? Why, why would he leave me? I just didn't understand why. These thoughts continued to spin in my head as I drowned myself deeper and deeper into sorrow.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this

Until next time.


	7. Chapter 7

Since my last chapter was there to set the mood...it was sort of a little fillerish...sorry about that.

Here's the next one to make up for it. :) This will get the wheels moving again.

* * *

_One evening s__everal weeks later_

"You look pathetic, Shiro Neko." A voice hissed through the darkness. Even though I could not see the person who said it, I can locate the area it came from. I turned my head towards that location and stared at the spot.

An assassin cross uncloaks in the area I was looking at staring straight back at me with his emotionless black eyes.

"Shadow" I said weakly once my brain registered who it was that decided to intrude my solitude.

"It seems like you're not totally out of it, at least you were able to recognize who I am. Anyways let's get down to business. I've been sent here to see why you haven't transcended yet. There is a mission with your name on it but the requirement is that you have to be an assassin cross. The mission starts soon so you'll need to get moving. I know you have your own guild you're devoted to but we need you on this mission."

His eyes momentarily soften up as he examines me closely before he continues, "I won't report your pathetic state back to the guild. You better hurry up and rebirth before they send someone else after you. I'll inform them you were delayed in the process of transcending. Oh by the way, before you see the Valkryie, I suggest you find the Deviruichi in Nifflheim to get the official divorce and cut off any lingering attachments. You will not be able to rebirth if you still have attachments to your current self."

The word divorce really hit me hard. I know he already physically left me, but the reality of it all still hurts a lot. Divorce would mean it's really over, that there will be no hope of turning back. However, if I don't rebirth, the assassin guild will come after me again since I'm needed for a mission. If they see the state I'm in right now, they'll probably take me back and retrain me to be emotionless again. Worst of all I'll probably have to train all over again before I'll be allowed another chance to rebirth.

Sigh, _why does life have to be so difficult_.

Suddenly, Shadow kneels in front of me and looks me directly into the eye. "It's time to move on, Angel. Remember your favorite saying, 'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.'" He said as he gently cups the side of my face with his hand.

After that he disappeared into the darkness once again. His words rang in my head. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". In my moment of weakness I seemed to forgotten my own motto, my way of living. My brain starts trying to convince my heart that those words can be applied in every situation, even this one. It's true he left me, yet I'm still alive. This pain that I feel will only make me a stronger person once I get over it.

I can feel my determination slowly coming back to me. I must get stronger, I will attain my goal.

"Thanks Shadow" I whispered as I slowly got off my couch that I have been sitting on for weeks.

Since it was my first time walking on my own for several weeks, my legs felt weak and I stumbled around a bit.

_Damn, maybe I should have listen to Jessie and ate more. I'll eat up before I leave._ I thought as I slowly made my way to my room.

_No lingering attachments_

I looked around my room; I found it bare of any signs of him. He had left nothing behind except for the ring and the note that are currently on top of my bedside drawer.

I took the ring that he left behind and put it on a chain to keep around my neck. I put the note he had left into a bowl and set it on fire.

I sat down at my desk and started to write a letter to my friends and guild mates:

_Hey guys,_

_Sorry for all the trouble that I have caused in the last couple of weeks. _

_I'm going to temporary leave the guild._

_There's some stuff I have to do._

_Don't worry I'll be fine._

_Goodbye,_

_Angel_

With that done, I took my guild communicator out and put it on top of the letter. I'm sure they'll find it when they come looking for me tomorrow. They'll be in for quite a surprise not to find me moping around on that damn couch of mine.

I grabbed my travel bag and started packing what was necessary. I opened my top dresser drawer where all my headgears were. I looked at the collection of cute headgears I have collected over the years. I realized many of them were either given by him or brought because he thought it looked good on me. I decided not to burn them as I did the note but keep them hidden until I feel ready to wear them once more. I went through all my headgears and found a Sakkat, assassin mask and my dark blinker. I decided to put up a barrier by hiding behind my headgears. I will not let anyone get close to hurt me like that again.

_Never again_

* * *

This week I'll be quite busy with school (2 assignments 1 test) and chinese new years so i can't get around to writing until maybe next week.  
Thanks for reading and thanks a lot for the reviews 3 


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about the long wait.

My course load this term is really heavy. I didn't know it would be this bad until the term progressed.

Basically once I'm done all my midterms it's time for finals. I don't really get a break in between cause things like labs and assignments don't stop just because of tests.

Please bare with me.

The next free time I have will be spent on my other FF as I have to equally split my time between the 2 stories :P

It's a ragnarok online cross over with Gakuen Alice (Basically chars from that anime living in the RO world etc)

If you're interested you can take a look at it from my profile

* * *

I could feel my strength disappearing with each monster I cut down.

_Damn it, I don't remember it being this hard to get to Niflheim. I guess I was spoiled to always have a priest with me in training. Moping around for the last several weeks probably didn't help either._

I sighed, as I slashed another Bloody Murder across the throat.

_At this rate, I might not make it to Niflheim._

I quickly downed a Concentration Potion and a White pot before I continue walking.

"Teehee" I heard something giggle behind me.

I turned around and found myself face to face with a Loli Ruri. I felt a stabbed at my heart as I remembered the days we use to come here to train and collect Black Cat Dolls. I have no idea why such a monster would keep a doll around but I needed them to trade for a Drooping Kitty.

I dodged its attack while trying to look for an opening. As it attacked for a second time, I quickly side step and made a quick jab at her side. She winced in pain from the cut as I moved behind her to finish her off.

The Black Cat Doll fell out of its pocket as she fell to the floor but I didn't bother to pick it up. I don't need them anymore, nor do I want a reminder of the past.

As I continued to fight my way to Niflheim, I put all my bitterness and anger into each cut I made. But even with my anger fueling me, but the strain from all the fighting was too much for my body to handle. I decided to take a quick break leaning on a dead tree nearby. I quickly searched my pockets for potions to help revitalize me and clean up the cuts that I got along the way. As I finished using my potion I heard a lot of footsteps behind me. I turned around just in time to see a blue flash and a mob of monster. I suppose someone had just teleported away from that mob.

Not happy about loosing their target, the monsters gave a loud cry and started looking for a new target. I tried to hide before they could spot me and come closer but it was too late.

Luck just wasn't on my side, since Demons can smell you even when you're hidden as long as they're close by. As they came running at me, I tried in vain to look for my fly wings only to discover that I had forgotten them. As I reach in another pocket for my teleport clip, a Bloody Murder slashed at my arm causing me to drop my clip.

"Damn it," I cursed as I took hold of my katars and started defending myself.

It is impossible to dodge all the oncoming attacks from the monsters. All I could do is try to find a chance to pick up my clip so I can teleport away from the mob.

I quickly dodge behind the tree just out of reach of one monster only to come face to face with another. I'm quickly losing ground as they close in on me.

_I can't believe it's all going to end here._ I thought since this situation looked very grim. I took another step back only to find myself backed up against a dead tree.

_Damn it, what can I do? _I thought as the mob came closer and closer.

I made a quick slash at a Loli Ruri at my right only to have a Gibbet hit me from behind.

That hit from behind had hit my head and my vision started to darken.

_No amount of pots is going to get me out of this mess._ I thought as I concentrated on dodging the attacks from the front while taking some hits from behind.

_This is it. Goodbye cruel world. _I thought as I fell down on my knees and closed my eyes waiting for the next attack to come and finish me off.

Surprisingly it never came.

I decided to open my eyes when I felt something wet drip onto my face.

I was surprised at the sight in front of me.

Somehow, this priest got through the mob and blocked the attack for me. I don't know how he got there but if he did not get there in time, I would have been a goner.

"Arrow shower," a voice called out from behind the mob.

I saw arrows penetrating the monsters as random. Some monsters were hit in vital spots while others were only scratched or slightly injured. The remaining monsters got distracted by the arrows and turned away from the priest to look at their new attacker.

The monsters started to move towards the hunter only to find themselves stepping into traps.

The hunter worked on shooting at the ones that were not trapped first before setting down more traps around him in case any got too close.

Meanwhile the priest healed himself and turned around to face me.

"Are you ok?" He asked while healing me.

I nodded in response.

While he's tending to my wounds, he'll turn around once in a while to check up on the hunter and give him support as necessary.

"There all done." He said as he finished healing the last of my wounds.

"I can't do anything about the amount of blood you lost tonight, but at least the wounds are healed so you won't be bleeding anymore."

Once again I nodded in response.

It feels weird because it's been a while since I came in contact with another person since I left Alde. Ever since I left, I've stayed to the shadows and kept to myself in the inns and pubs I had been to. The only people I have had to talk to since I left were the staff at the various places I've stayed at as well as the Karfa workers to resupply myself.

When the hunter finished with the monsters he walked over to us.

"Hey Gin, I can use a heal too you know."

The priest turns around and heals his hunter friend then turns around to me again

"Don't mind Aki, he's just looking for attention. Sorry about the mob, I ran out of Sp so we teleported away. We didn't think anyone else would be here at this hour so we teleported without thinking. We're really sorry. We came back as soon as we found out there some someone else training in this area."

I nodded once again. I felt too tired to speak to these people and I didn't feel it was necessary since I didn't know them.

"So, what are you doing here all by yourself at this hour?" The hunter asks.

I turned my face towards him but he couldn't see me looking at him since my eyes were hidden behind the dark blinker.

Sigh, I guess I would have to tell them before they left me go again.

"Going to Niflheim" I responded with the shortest sentence possible to get my point across.

"Oh. We're trying to get there as well! I've heard so much about the place so I'm really excited to see it. We're training and traveling all around Midgard and I heard about this place so I had to come here. Hey, since you're going there too, let's go together!" The hunter exclaimed excitedly. I wondered if all hunter classes were this hyper. Jessie is usually like that too even if she has already explored all of Midgard in her hunter days.

"It's ok, I can get there by myself." I responded in a empty tone as I stood up.

"No, I insist we go with you. You've lost a lot of blood and fatigue will get to you faster then normal. It was our fault that you almost died. Please let us accompany you to Niflheim." The priest pleaded.

_Sigh, he's probably right. I did loose a lot of blood to that mob and it's not like potions will give me back the blood I lost. If I was to keep on going by myself I might not be able to make it there. Another option is I ask for a warp and come back another day. But that would be so troublesome to work my way to Niflheim again. I guess that doesn't leave me with much of a choice._

"Fine, but once we get to town I'll be going my own way." I responded.

The priest nods in response and said, "By the way, my name is Gin and this is my brother Akira."

I nodded in acknowledgement as they were introduced to me.

"What is your name?" Gin asks gently.

I tilted my head thinking if I should tell them or not. I haven't given anyone the chance to get close to me since I left home.

However, since they did save my life, I guess I could tell them. "Angel." I responded.

"Alright Angel, lets get going before Aki leaves us behind." Gin said as he started walking to the hunter ahead of us on the path. "He's too hyper for his own good," Gin mutter to himself as he walks ahead as well.

Before I left, I looked around the place for the teleport clip that I had dropped during the fight.

I found it near the edge of the cliff to my right.

After I picked up the clip I looked out over the cliff.

_Lucky it didn't roll all the way off the cliff. It's so steep and deep I don't think I can make it down and back up. I guess anything that gets dropped down there is gone and lost forever._

That thought gave me an idea.

I reached around my neck to open the clasp on the necklace holding the rings.

I held my hand out over the cliff staring at the pair of rings.

_I've come to Niflheim for a reason. This will be my first step in saying goodbye._ I thought as I looked at the rings one last time. Then I open my hand and watched the necklace with the rings fall into oblivion below.

_There's no turning back now._

* * *

I hope that was long enough :)

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS

reviews really keep me writing

It lets me know someone is reading and I should keep writing :)

Thanks a lot.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry about the long delay

I made this chapter extra long to make up for it

Just been so busy :(

School work never ends.

Exams start soon and I have lots to study.

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND ALERT

They let me know I should keep on writing. :) Thanks a lot guy

* * *

_Niflheim_

Once we arrived in Niflheim I slipped away from Gin and Aki. I had only agreed to let them accompany me to the town; I never said I'll stay with them after we got here.

I started my search for the Deviruchi's house. This is going to be a pain to search since I have no idea where it lives.

_After searching many different houses_

_Damn, spirits, making me run around in a circle like a fool, I should have known better then to trust some of them. At least I finally got the location of where the Derviruchi lives after threatening that last one. I never knew the undead cared about their face so much. I should have done that from the beginning so I didn't have to waste so much time. _I thought as I made my way to the house the Deviruchi lived in.

_Inside the house_

"Hey, I'm here to get a divorce."

"That's the only reason why you folks come to see me. Humans, love is so fickle." The Deviruchi replied.

His comment made my blood boil. It's not that I really wanted a divorced. I never even dreamt of it. I still love that damn guy. Yet he left me…so I have no choice but to do this.

I slammed my katar point first into the Deviruchi's desk.

"Care to repeat what you just said?" I growled.

The Deviruchi looks up at me and said "Not only are you weak, you're hot tempered as well."

That does it. I grabbed my katar and made a move to hit the Deviruchi but right before my katars reached him he spoke again.

"Tut tut, if you kill me who will file for your divorce?" He said slyly.

_Damn it, he's right._

"You're off the hook this time." I growled angrily as I sat down on the chair opposite to him at the desk.

"Now let's get this over with. I have better things to do." I said.

"Alright then, I'll need you to fill out these forms for me first." He responded as he brought out a huge stack of paper.

My eyes went wide as I saw all the forms I have to fill out.

"I have to complete all those?!" I exclaimed.

"Yup, better get started if you want to leave soon."

_Sigh, what I must do to start a new life. Curse those feelings of mine. I swear I'll never fall in love again._ I thought angrily to myself as I started filling out all the paperwork.

_Several hours later_

I walked out of the Deviruchi's house as I have finally finished going through the divorce process. I swear he was just taking his time on purpose to piss me off.

_Now that everything is done, maybe I can finally move on. _I thought as I went to the Karfa worker to access my storage.

I never really liked opening my storage in Niflheim. It's sort of freaky if you ask me. I mean, really, she's dead yet she's still working for the Karfa service. I wonder if she's still on their payroll. I thought as I dug around in my storage looking for supplies.

I have a bad habit of not always carrying extra supplies like fly wings and butterfly wings on me when I go out. I figure since I always have my teleport clip I don't really need to have fly wings and since my destination is a town, there's no need for a butterfly wing. I guess I was proven wrong when I dropped my clip in that mob. Even a butterfly wing would have gotten me out of trouble since I was that desperate.

"Yes, found them", I exclaimed as I grab a couple butterfly wings out of storage.

Just as I got them, I heard really fast footsteps coming towards me.

I turn to face that direction and I saw Gin running towards me at top speed.

"ANGEL, DO YOU HAVE ANY BLUE GEMS?" He shouted as he continued to run towards me.

I nodded in reply and started going through my storage again. I usually have a stash of blue gems in storage as I had shared storage space with my now ex-husband. Gin was already beside me by the time I found the blue gems. He was breathing really hard seeming as if he had just ran in a marathon. I handed several gems over to him as soon as he caught his breath.

"Thanks" he replied and looked anxiously at where he just came running from.

I talked to the karfa worked again to close my storage. I turned to look at where Gin was looking at and I saw his brother Aki come running towards us. But he wasn't the only one coming towards us. Fear came crashing down on me when I saw Lord of the Dead chasing after him. Just as I was about to grab my butterfly wing and crush it, I heard Aki yelling.

"Good you found her, now hurry up and cast that warp portal!"

I look at Gin who is now casting a warp portal right in front of me.

"That's not necessary. I can get out of here on my own." I said just as he finished casting.

"No, I can't leave you alone with that monster." Gin replied before he pushed me into the portal.

Before I disappeared I saw Aki setting down another trap to slow down Lord of the Dead before continuing to run for the portal at top speed.

In a flash I appeared right in front of a water fountain.

I looked around and took in my surroundings.

It seems like he had warped me to Prontera. As I was walking away from the memo location two people stepped out of the warp portal. Aki came first followed by Gin.

"That was a close one" Aki said as he dropped down to the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see him there." Gin replied.

I continued towards the Prontera inn ignoring the two of them.

"Hey Angel, where are you going?" Gin asked as he caught up to walk beside me.

"Inn" I replied still walking.

"Where did you disappear to when we were in Niflheim?" Aki chimes in walking on the other side of me.

"None of your business." I replied coldly. Why can't these two leave me alone? Can't they see I want to be alone?! I thought as I continue to walk.

"That's not how you should be talking to people that just saved your life more than once." Aki commented.

_That's it, I can't take it anymore._ I thought before I exploded.

"First of all, I wouldn't have seen Lord of the Dead if you guys haven't led it to me. Second of all, I could have gotten out of Niflheim on my own. There's something called butterfly wings you know. Third, it was your fault that I almost got killed by that mob. If you can't handle a mob then don't mob!" I fumed and stomped on towards my destination.

"Don't mind Aki. He didn't mean it in a bad way." Gin said as he tried to calm me down.

"Look, we're not in Niflheim anymore, why are you still following me. I thought we said we'll go our separate ways once we got there."

"But I thought you were our new travelling partner!!" Aki exclaimed loudly "Don't leave." He said while pouting.

I couldn't help but sweat drop when I looked at him. He was acting like a little 5 years old kid asking his mommy for a toy.

"You know, travelling by yourself is hard, you can avoid dangerous situations like that in Niflheim field if you were in a group." Gin said trying to convince me to stay with them.

I gave him a glare which asks him whose fault that was for me getting into that kind of trouble.

"Ok it was our fault. So let us make it up to you." Gin sighs holding his hand up in surrender.

"I don't need you to make it up to me. I thought going with me to Niflheim was suppose to be your apology already."

"Yes that's true, but lose of blood requires more than several hours to of healing time. I want to make sure you're alright until you completely recover."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"But it's my job as a priest to make sure patients are doing well. Especially since it was our fault that caused your injuries in the first place, it makes me feel even more obligated to take care of you. It's my duty to make sure you recover properly and to protect you until your health is back to normal."

I stopped dead in my track and stared at him. I can't believe in today's time there was still someone that thought like that. "Is that a new pick up line or something? Cause it's not going to work. I'm not interested in a relationship."

He turns beet red and shakes his head furiously. "No no no, that's not what I'm trying to do." He replied really quickly

"I just wanted to make sure you're ok and I'm not the cause of your death or something." He quietly added.

Sigh, "You guys haven't travelled a lot have you?" I asked.

"Not really, I've only started several months ago. Gin has traveled a little bit before but not really for long periods of time. I mean…we been training since we were young, but never got a chance to actually go out to train and explore. We've always done our training in special training rooms and learnt about different places from textbooks." Aki replied while still thinking about it.

Wow, talk about having overly protective parents. I wonder if they're rich kids or something that their parents don't let them out of the house.

"And just how old are you?!" I asked

"23" Gin replies

"18" Aki replies

I shake my head in disbelief. Gin is my age and yet he's been so sheltered. I've been looking out for myself ever since I was young.

"Fine, you can hang around until I recover." I said without really thinking. It's just blood lost, how long can it take to recover. They'll be gone in no time so I thought.

"Great, so did you want to hang around Prontera for the next week then or choose another town?" Gin replied.

"The next week?!" I exclaimed loudly.

"Well yeah, 1 week's time will ensure that your body is fully recovered no matter what body type you have. It also gives me an opportunity to give a more thorough examination to see if you suffered any major injuries that I wasn't able to heal on site." Gin said thoughtfully.

I slapped my forehand after I heard that. "I don't have time to idle around for a week. I need to transcend before the end of the month and that's in 2 weeks time."

"Actually we're trying to transcend as well!" Aki exclaimed cheerfully.

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"That's the reason why we're finally allowed to go out and explore the world. Apparently we should see it first before we transcend. We've explored most of the main continent of Midgard already and we're almost ready to transcend as well! Maybe we can transcend together." Aki said excitedly.

"I see." Was all that could say. Judging from the way Aki acts, he probably did not have any playmates his age when he was growing up. He seems so eager to make new friends.

"Well if you want, you can continue training but we'll be there with you just in case something happens." Gin said thoughtfully.

Sigh I guess I don't have I choice since I did allow them to stick around until I fully recover.

"Alright then, I don't have much of a choice do I?"

Gin shakes his head while smiling.

"YAY, we'll train together! So where will we go?" Aki asks excitedly.

"Let's think about that later and have a good night rest first" Gin interjected and points to the Inn that we're now standing right in front of.

I nodded in agreement and went into the inn first.

_This is going to be one long week._

* * *

Heehee, I had to think of something to get them to stay together :)

I hope things work out the way I want them too.

If I can I'll try to update again before exams. But at the rate I'm going for school I donno if it's possible.

I'll try my best

Thanks for the support


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